


Consequences

by Squibbles94



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, More out soon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Started out as a one-shot but then it escalated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-06-03 01:12:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19453309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squibbles94/pseuds/Squibbles94
Summary: When a strange note is left for her, Karen seeks help from the only person she can trust.-ALSO-Prompt: "I'm coming to get you, stay there."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies!
> 
> So, this is the first fic I have written for The Punisher. I'm normally a Supernatural girl, but I have been in love with these characters for a long time and I had to. Please let me know if there is anything I can improve on or if there are any mistakes. 
> 
> Have fun!

Karen’s feet were throbbing. It had been a long day what with the four interviews she had lined up all across the city. Her feet drug as she climbed her stairs and she could actively say that if there were no chance of getting some fungal infection or some sketchy disease from the floor of her apartment building, she would have shed her heels right there in the hallway. As it was, she would just suffer because it would only be another minute. 

As she approached her door, she reached into her purse. It was just habit at this point, to retrieve her .380 as she went into the front door and do a small sweep. You couldn’t be too careful in New York and there was no way to tell who would be waiting for her. Especially when she pissed off so many drug dealers, cartel members, and general creeps that thought they could get away with undermining the law and hurting innocent people. 

Her key slid into the lock and she twisted. As she stepped into the room, she swiftly turned on a light and raised her gun. She made sure to check behind all the doors and anywhere someone could hide before deeming the apartment clear. With a sigh, she laid the gun on the counter and took stock of her apartment. It was as empty as it was everyday and everything was right where she left it. 

It had been a while since someone had been to visit her. Not to say she was lonely, no, she was fine. Really. It just shook her sometimes how things had changed. Matt being Daredevil, Foggy getting a job somewhere else, and Frank. Just, Frank. 

He made sure to keep in contact in various ways. He had showed up at her doorstep and asked for a favor. In return, she got the super secret special way to contact him. It was a simple vase of white roses that was tucked near the windowsill just in case she needed to contact him. After he saw that they were in the windowsill, he would contact her. That was the rule. 

She glanced at the flowers and noticed a piece of paper on her counter. She had no idea how she missed it, but it wasn’t there when she left that morning. The bold red color stood out against her countertop and she was cautious as she approached it. She looked around her apartment and out the window, just in case the person who left it stuck around for some reason. 

Her breath quickened as she walked closer to it. It could have been from Frank. It wouldn’t be the first time he had climbed through her fire escape and probably not the last. She was being dumb, taking it so slow. She picked up the paper and read what it said. It was two simple words and a set of initials. 

She dropped the letter and felt her body go numb. There was no way it was true. No way. He... He couldn’t know. No. No. No. 

‘Snap out of it’ she told herself. Okay. What was she going to do? Well, she could ignore it and chalk it up to him trying to scare her. No, she couldn’t ignore it. That was stupid. She could call Matt. No, he would ask too many questions that she wasn’t ready to answer. Not to him anyway. She couldn’t trust anyone. No one would understand.

Except...

Without second guessing herself, she made sure her doors were locked and put the vase of roses in the windowsill. It was the only way she had to contact him. She turned out all the lights and grabbed her gun. There was no way she was going to be surprised if they decided to come for her that night.

The waiting was agonizing and she had no idea how much she was going to be able to take, but finally after what seemed like forever, she heard her cell phone ring.

BLOCKED NUMBER.

She answered. “Hello?”

“What’s goin’ on?” 

She sighed in relief. “Frank.” 

“Yes, Ma’am.” His tone was hard but she could tell he was trying to be patient. 

“I...I need help.” She was going to regret this, she just knew it. But there was no other option. “Please.”

Frank hesitated only a fraction of a second, “I’m coming to get you, stay there.” 

The phone disconnected and she stared at the paper on her counter. She willed it to say anything else. She wished it would vanish into nothingness and that she wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of her actions. The words stared back at her. Accusing. Threatening.

_ I know. -WF _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!
> 
> Here is chapter two. Please let me know if things are not adding up or if there are any mistakes you find. Hope you enjoy!

There was something to be said about being in a dark room with a gun in your hand that makes you reevaluate your life choices and what brought you here. This is all Karen can think as she is sitting on her bed waiting for Frank. She would normally be okay waiting in the living room, but hell, she would normally not have to call someone because she is scared. So there’s that. 

From her bed she could see her front door and had a good chance of not being immediately seen if someone came through it, so that was a plus. She had never been a tactical person, but logic suggested that keeping her lights off to make it seem like she wasn’t there was a good idea. 

Frank was on his way. It was going to be okay, he would help her come up with a plan. It was fine. It was… there was a thud. It was barely even a noise but Karen’s senses were in overdrive. Her hands shook slightly as she gripped her gun. It could be Frank, but then again she didn’t want to take that chance. 

She didn’t want to hurt Frank if it was him, but she didn’t want to be a sitting duck either. So, she settled for standing against the wall by the door and peeking her head out. Yeah. That didn’t go so well because all she saw was the silhouette of a large man. 

Screw it. She launched herself out from behind the wall and raised her gun. “Hold it right there,” she said, trying to inject as much authority in her voice as she could. 

“Hey, hey, hey. Karen. It’s me. It’s Frank.”

“Jesus,” Karen breathed, lowering her weapon. “Couldn’t you knock or something?”

“Yeah, and if there was someone in here with you? What? Give them a heads up that someone is here? Come on,” he reasoned. 

“Fine.” She reached up and pushed her hair out of her face. It was a tick that she did when she was nervous and if there was ever a time for her to be anxious it was then. She stepped over to the wall and turned on the light so she could see him. He was standing by the counter that would be considered a divider between her living room and kitchen. 

She didn’t know what she expected but it wasn’t him sporting multiple bruises on his face as well as a fresh coat of blood covering his hands. Was there ever going to be a time she saw him when his face was free from injuries? Probably not. This thought made her sorry for him but also confident that she made the right call. If there was anyone who loved a good fight, it was him. She walked around the counter and stood in front of him, trying to will herself to start talking.

“What’s going on?” He asked her, eyes not leaving her face.

She swallowed hard trying to buy her a second while she figured out where to start. There was so much to go over and she didn’t know how much she should tell him. But then she remembered. They did not lie to each other. 

“Okay. So. I came home and this was on the counter. I-I have no idea where it came from, but, uh. Here, read it,” she said snatching the paper off the counter and set it in front of him. 

His eyes scanned the letter and it was no surprise that he looked confused. There wasn’t much to go on. And she knew she hadn’t given him any context clues so she decided to start at the beginning. She took a deep breath and plunged into the story.

“Okay. So, do you remember a few years ago when Wilson Fisk went to jail?” 

At the mention of Fisk, Frank’s eyes flashed in recognition and immediately snapped to the paper. He brought his hands up to the edge of the counter and gripped it hard, tension rolling off his body. She knew he recognized the initials, so she continued. “Well, okay, so. When I first met Foggy and Matt it was because I was being investigated for murder. I was framed and Fisk was behind it and he kind of maybe tried to have me killed while I was in custody.” 

She tried to ignore the tightening of his jaw. “After I was cleared of that, I started working at Nelson and Murdock and we went up against Fisk. I started digging and I got too close. I found his mother and went to see her with Ben. You remember me talking about him right?” 

Frank nodded.

“Anyway Fisk had this right hand man, James Wesley. He, uh, he found out.” Her breathing started to get heavier but she pushed herself to go into the next part and she started to pace across the room. “He took me, tried to get me to convince everyone that Fisk was an upstanding citizen. But of course, I told him to shove it.” 

“As you should.” Frank chimed in. It was the first thing he said since she started talking and she could hear the strain and pride in his voice. She just hoped that it would still be there when she was done with her story. 

“I told him to just kill me if that’s what he wanted to do.” She ignored the look he shot at her. “He told me that he wouldn’t kill me until everyone I love was dead. He was going to kill Ben, and Foggy, and Matt, and I couldn’t let them be put in danger because of something I did,” She was whispering at this point as if saying it too loud would bring the police pounding on her door.

“What did you do, Karen?” His eyes were intensely focused on her face and she knew he already knew the answer but it needed to be said out loud. 

“I killed him. He got distracted by a phone call and I grabbed the gun that he put on the table and I shot him.” 

“Good.” 

“No. No. You don’t understand. Seven times. I shot him seven times because I knew if he got up from that table, there was no going back and no way to save everyone. I wanted him dead. And now Fisk knows.” 

She felt the tears falling down her cheeks and she furiously wiped them away. Crying wasn’t going to help her. 

“I don’t give a shit what he knows. He’s not getting to you.” Frank tried to soothe. 

“But…”

“But nothin’ Karen. That piece of shit you shot had it comin’ and he doesn’t get to own a single tear from you. He isn’t worth it.” His voice was growing louder with every sentence, but she didn’t mind. It was oddly comforting. “As for Fisk, let him come. Cause I already got shit to say to him. He isn’t going to come near you. I swear it.” 

The intensity that was rolling off him made her calm down slightly and she asked the only thing that had been running through her head since she got home that night. “So, what do we do now?” 

“Okay. You need to text your boss that you aren’t coming in for a few days. I don’t know tell him your sick or something. Yeah. Then you’re going to pack a bag and I’m getting you somewhere safe until I can handle this,” Frank finished with a piercing stare.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we just faced this thing head on. I could, I could stay here and see if anyone is watching me. We could flush them out. Go on the offensive.” Karen tried to suggest but Frank was shaking his head before she finished. 

“No. Fuck that. I’m not using you as bait. I’ll handle this my way. With you in a safe place. I can’t take him out if I’m worried about you.”

“I mean, you used me as bait before, how is this any different?” she asked, running her fingers through her hair.

“Because it is. Let’s just get you somewhere safe and I will deal with this.”

“No, it’s smarter to …”

“No! Dammit, Karen. Please.”

They sat in silence for a few moments before Karen decided that she couldn’t do this alone and hopefully Frank knew what he was doing. She didn’t have many options and if she was being honest with herself, she was scared. Probably more than she had ever been in her life. They were in her home. Someone could have been waiting for her or they could have put a bomb in her closet. She knew what they could do, so she conceded. “Fine. We’ll do this your way. On one condition.” 

Frank’s jaw tightened and Karen knew he wasn’t used to being given conditions. Though, she couldn’t find it in her to care at that moment. She had nothing to lose at that point. 

“I need to be able to let Foggy know what’s going on. He needs to be warned that Fisk still has pull in prison.” The words rushed out of her. 

Frank scrutinized her face looking for what she thought was signs that she would still go along with him if he said no or an uncertainty about her request. When he found neither of these he nodded his head. 

“Go get ready, Ma’am.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!  
> Sorry this has taken a while. We are back at school, which means my updates are going to be a bit sporadic. The first month of being back to work was super stressful and busy, as it always is getting the kiddos settled in. I am hoping to be more consistent with updates, but I can't promise a schedule, so I won't. 
> 
> Anyways! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

It did not take Karen long to pack, probably because she didn’t need to bring too many things with her. She packed her more sensible clothes because she knew there were not going to be many opportunities for her to need her beloved pencil skirts. Though, she did bring a few skirts just in case. She did hesitate when she looked at the photo of her family on the nightstand. She had no idea when she was going to be back to the apartment so, with a sigh, she packed it too. She ran her fingers over her desk, where she spent most of her time and noted that it needed to be dusted again. It was only when Frank cleared his throat in her doorway that she noticed that she was looking at her apartment for a bit too long. She had a feeling that she would never see it again in the same light, somehow everything felt like it would change. But that was ridiculous. She would be back once everything was fixed and it would be just the same as before she left. Right?

“Hey,” Frank whispered. “Come on. We need to go.”

She nodded in his general direction and took one last sweep of her apartment. “Yeah.” 

The streets were dark and not very crowded by the time Karen and Frank left her building. There was an eerie calm that covered the street as they walked to a dark van that was half hidden down the road. Karen’s footsteps faltered but then she saw Frank heading for the creeper van so she decided that it was his. She scoffed lightly because it was just so … Frank. She could imagine the back being filled with weapons and maybe a cot but not much else. There was probably protein bars stuffed in the glove compartment for the times he needed to eat but was busy stalking someone and a first aid kit under the front seat with an endless supply of thread for the particularly bad nights. 

That thought made her cringe. She wished he would take better care of himself, but she knew that he had a mission to complete and that it was more important than his own comfort. Even if she didn’t always understand why he felt the need to claim justice for every situation that he deemed unscrupulous, she did understand that some people needed to pay for the things they have done. She couldn’t say that she agreed with how he dealt with criminals, but she couldn’t judge too harshly considering her own hands were covered in the blood of others. 

Karen was surprised when Frank stepped up to the passenger side of the van and opened the door for her. He grabbed her arm and ushered her into the seat, taking her bag from her and tossing it into the back of the van. Once she was settled safely in the van, he stepped around to the driver’s seat. 

“Where are we going?” Karen asked. 

“Somewhere safe. I gotta make a call,” he told her as he took out his cellphone. 

Karen sat in the seat and texted Ellison. She knew she would need at least a few days off so she decided to tell him that she had the flu. It wasn’t too far out of the realm of possibilities because half the office had been out in the past few weeks. She wasn’t surprised to see his reply that came almost immediately.

**Ellison: No problem. You know, you could always take a few more days. It’s not like you have missed any days in the past, I don’t know, ever. Actually, take the week. I don’t want to see you here until you are 100%. Let me know if you need anything.**

She sent back a thank you and assured him that she would be fine. She thought about telling him that he might want to leave the city for a vacation himself but as soon as it went through her head she dismissed it. There was just too much that she couldn’t tell him and she knew he would latch onto a small detail and try to expose every nugget of information he could. He would eventually get something out of her because he always knew when she was lying. It was one of the many gifts he used as editor of the Bulletin to make the paper both a selling point but also as close to the truth as he could. While those two things did not always overlap, there were morals that Ellison stood by when it came to the paper. Karen appreciated that about him, but it also made it hard to have the secrets she did.

“Lieberman, don’t give me that shit! I know you have eyes on all of my safehouses, don’t even try to say anything different,” Frank spat into the phone.

Karen glanced at him, noting that he had an irritated look on his face. It made sense, given what she knew about Micro and his time with the man that past year that he would call him. She wondered how many safehouses Frank had and which one he was bringing her to. Maybe it was far out of the city to make it harder for Fisk to find her. Maybe it was so far out of the city that his reach didn’t extend that far. She huffed at this thought because she knew that even behind bars Fisk could get to anyone he wanted no matter where they were and no matter what protections they put in place. 

She suddenly felt a rush of guilt bringing Frank into the situation. What if he died? What if he couldn’t save her and ended up losing it like he did when his family was taken from him? But that was ridiculous, she wasn’t his family. He wouldn’t go off the rails again for her. But what if? He had just gotten a clean slate and he was supposed to be laying low. He wasn’t supposed to be in this war again. He was supposed to be free of the blood and terror that she made a living out of. He wasn’t supposed to be there. 

But he was. He dropped everything faster than she thought possible and came to her when she called. He was there without question, ready to take her to a safe place he probably hadn’t had use for in months. He was dragging other people into it, which brought another surge of panic. If Fisk found out Micro was helping them, he was dead. The man had a family. She was putting children at risk. 

“Hey,” Frank said. “Karen? What’s going on?”

She looked at him, blinking hard. She felt the tears run down her face and felt that her breathing was coming fast. She was also aware of the pain in her bottom lip where the teeth had broken the skin. She hadn’t realized he was finished with his phone call, too lost in her thoughts until he called her name. She quickly brushed the wetness away from her eyes. 

“Nothing. Just, uh, what did Lieberman say?” she tried to change the subject.

Frank looked at her for a second, his eyes narrowing. “He has a line on one of my safehouses. The security hasn’t been tripped and so it should be okay to stay in for now.” 

“Good. That’s good.”

“You gonna call Nelson? Tell him what’s going on?” Frank asked, glancing at her. 

Was she going to call him? She was already responsible for putting five lives in danger. She couldn’t risk more. Especially not Foggy. The thought of him laying cold on the ground with bullet holes in him because he ran to help her flashed through her mind. It was all she needed to decide that she wouldn’t tell him the specifics. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m going to call him.” 

Karen took out her cellphone and scrolled through her contacts. She hesitated over Foggy’s name as she deliberated the words that would make him get out of town and stay the safest. She knew he had to take Marci, there was no way Foggy would leave her in the city unprotected. She also knew that whatever she told Foggy, Matt would certainly find out. 

She punched his name, and waited as the phone rang. He picked up after two rings. 

“Hey, beautiful Karen!” Foggy greeted. 

Karen smiled slightly at the old nickname he had for her. “Hey, Fog. How’re you doing?” 

“I am wonderful! It’s been a productive day, I have a swanky apartment with a beautiful blonde. Also, I am very drunk so that always calls for a good time. What’s up?” 

Karen hesitated. “Foggy, some… something happened. Um, no one is hurt or anything and you know, Matt’s fine. Just, uh, I need to ask you to do something and you can’t ask questions.”

“What do you mean?” She could hear the concern bleed through his tone. 

“Okay. I need you to get out of town. I don’t care where, just somewhere far away and preferably isolated. And don’t bring your cellphone, bring a burner and just use cash. You need to disappear for a little while.” 

“Karen. What the hell are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere. What’s going on?” Foggy’s words came fast, the noise of shuffling evident in the background. He was moving somewhere else, which meant he wasn’t alone. 

“No questions, remember?” Karen sighed.

“No. No you don’t get to do that. Not to me. First I have Matt going all over the place telling me that things aren’t safe and I find out he is behind a vigilante scheme and now you are telling me to go into hiding. No, I want an answer.” 

“I … Foggy, I can’t. The more you know, the more you’re in danger. Just please trust me and I swear when it’s all over I will explain everything to you. I promise. Just, get to a safe place. Please.” She could hear the desperation in her voice and it made her realize how scared she actually was. 

She glanced over at Frank, who was staring intently ahead at the road. He looked like he was trying not to pry, but there was a tick in his jaw that told her he was hanging onto her every word. 

“Karen? Are you in trouble? And don’t you dare lie to me. I swear I will pull Matt in this room if you lie to me.” Foggy threatened. 

Karen deliberated her words. What could she say that was vague enough to not give away details but also not lie to him. “Yes,” she said slowly, “but I have someone who is helping me. I’m taking care of it.”

“Jesus, Karen.” Foggy drug in a few deep breaths. “Does Matt know?” 

“No. And it’s going to stay that way.” 

“I don’t think…”

“I don’t care, Fog. He doesn’t get to know. I’ve got this handled. It’s gonna be okay. Look, I have to go. Please, just listen to me and get somewhere safe. Promise me.” 

There was a pause. “I promise I’ll be safe.” 

Karen said her goodbyes to Foggy and dropped her head into the headrest behind her. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the emotions of the day. She felt like she was drowning in the uncertainty that was her life recently. Every time she thought she was getting ahead, something happened that drug her back to her past sins. Maybe there was no escape from it, maybe she was destined to face the consequences for her actions until they slowly consumed her. 

“You good?” Frank’s voice cut through the silence. 

“Yeah.” 

“I’m gonna work this out, Karen. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” 

Karen didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She just shifted her eyes over to him and smiled slightly showing him that she understood. Out of curiosity she glanced back behind her seat. She saw small piles of bags that clinked when they shifted, undoubtedly filled with weapons, and a cot deconstructed and mounted to the side of the van. She chuckled slightly to herself. She knew it.


End file.
